Santa Monica Pier’s twin-boardwalk charm in Santa Monica
Published on 08/25/2026 at 13:29 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Santa Monica Pier in California’s Santa Monica runs out over the Pacific Ocean as a paired structure, where a long municipal pier meets an adjoining pleasure pier lined with amusements. Completed in 1909 as a concrete walkway above the water, it later gained an amusement park that still turns above the waves.
A double pier above the Pacific
Santa Monica Pier stands at the western end of Colorado Avenue, marking the point where the urban grid of Santa Monica gives way to ocean and sky.The long Municipal Pier opened in 1909 as a utilitarian structure, carrying pipes beyond the surf while providing a solid platform for walkers and anglers. Its concrete deck stretches far into the Pacific, forming a straight line over the water that contrasts with the open sandy beach to the south.The pier reached roughly 1,600 feet into the ocean when it opened.
Attached to the southern side of this municipal structure is Newcomb Pier, also known as the Pleasure Pier, built in 1916 by amusement pioneer Charles I. D. Looff.Looff developed the adjoining amusement pier with rides and attractions that turned the utilitarian walkway into a seaside playground. The two adjoining piers together form the landmark now known collectively as Santa Monica Pier, with the northern side reserved largely for strolling and fishing and the southern side packed with entertainment.
From sewage pier to historic landmark
The concrete Municipal Pier was completed in 1909, during a period when West Coast cities experimented with new materials and coastal infrastructure.Construction began in 1908 and the pier opened on 9 September 1909, the same date as California’s statehood celebration. In later decades, the paired structure evolved into a recreational focus for Santa Monica, drawing anglers, promenade crowds and ballroom dancers to the shoreline.
One of the most recognisable structures on the Pleasure Pier is the Looff Hippodrome, a richly decorated building that houses a carousel dating from the early 1920s.The Hippodrome and carousel gained landmark protection in 1975, underscoring the pier’s status as a piece of American seaside heritage. The wider structure has since been recognised as a historic site, preserving its mix of early twentieth-century engineering and mid-century entertainment culture.
Pacific Park and the amusement rides over the waves
On top of Newcomb Pier sits Pacific Park, a compact amusement park that occupies the southern half of Santa Monica Pier.Pacific Park opened in 1996 as the first full-scale amusement park on the pier since the 1930s, bringing back roller coasters, games and food stands above the ocean. The park frames the horizon with its Ferris wheel and the looping track of the West Coaster, both mounted on the timber deck above the Pacific.
The Pacific Wheel, a Ferris wheel fitted with solar panels, lifts enclosed cabins high above the pier.The wheel is powered in part by solar energy and rises more than 130 feet above the pier, making it a visible marker from beach and boulevard alike. Beneath the rides, the amusement area is threaded with game stalls, snack counters and arcades, while the seaward end of the pier retains open railings where visitors can look back towards the skyline of Santa Monica or down to the Pacific surf.
Visiting Santa Monica Pier: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Santa Monica Pier stands at the western end of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, projecting into the Pacific Ocean from the western edge of the Los Angeles coastal plain. It is reached by road from central Los Angeles and by local bus and light-rail services that terminate nearby.
- The pier deck is flat but sits above the beach on piles, reached by sloping approaches and stairways from the bluff and the adjacent beachfront road.
- Pacific Park’s rides and attractions occupy the southern side of the pier, while the northern side offers open space with railings where people walk and fish.
- The official language is English and the currency is the United States dollar.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
Searching for Santa Monica Pier on social platforms
These links open searches for Santa Monica Pier on each platform.
Frequently asked questions about Santa Monica Pier
Where is Santa Monica Pier located?
Santa Monica Pier stands on the Pacific coast of California, at the western edge of the city of Santa Monica and the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
What can visitors expect on Santa Monica Pier?
Visitors find a long concrete pier for walking and fishing, an adjoining amusement pier with Pacific Park rides and a mix of restaurants, bars and small attractions above the ocean.
What makes Santa Monica Pier distinctive?
The twin structure of municipal pier and pleasure pier, the early twentieth-century Looff Hippodrome and the solar-powered Pacific Wheel give Santa Monica Pier a distinctive coastal silhouette.
